Airbus to Build Five A330-Based ‘Beluga’ Jets

First of The New Beluga Planes Due For Delivery in 2019

LONDON—Airbus Group NV will build five new Beluga transport planes based on its A330 widebody jet as the European plane maker seeks to secure its ability to meet increasing production demands.

The first of the new Beluga jets is due for delivery in mid-2019, the Toulouse-based company said Monday. Airbus’s existing Beluga fleet is based on heavily modified A300 jetliners that are no longer in production, forcing the switch to a newer...